Differences in the early stages of social information processing for adolescents involved in bullying.

Bullying victimization has commonly been associated with deficiencies in social information processing (SIP). In contrast, findings regarding bullying perpetration are mixed, with some researchers claiming that bullies may have superior SIP abilities than victimized or uninvolved youth. This study investigated the effects of bullying and victimization on early SIP; specifically the recognition and interpretation of social information. In stage 1, 2782 adolescents (11-16 years) were screened for bullying involvement, and in stage 2, 723 of these participants (mean age=13.95) were assessed on measures of emotion recognition, hostile attribution bias, and characterological self-blame (CSB). No associations between bullying and early SIP were found. In contrast, victimization was associated with more hostile attribution bias and CSB attributions. Girls performed better than boys on the emotion recognition task while boys showed greater hostile attribution biases. No interaction effects of bullying or victimization with gender were found. Follow-up categorical analyses that considered pure victims versus victims who also bullied (bully-victims) on SIP, found a similar pattern of findings. These findings suggest that those who purely bully others are neither superior nor deficient in the early stages of SIP. Victimized adolescents, however, show biases in their interpretations of social situations and the intentions of others. These biases may lead to maladaptive responses and may increase risk for further victimization by peers

Bullying and negative appearance feedback among adolescents: Is it objective or misperceived weight that matters?

This study investigated (1) whether involvement in bullying as a bully, victim or bully-victim was associated with objectively measured overweight or underweight, or whether it was related to weight misperception (i.e., inaccurate perceptions), and (2) whether appearance-specific feedback mediated the relationship between bullying and weight misperception. In Stage 1, 2782 adolescents aged 11–16 years from British secondary schools were screened for peer bullying and victimisation. In Stage 2, 411 adolescents with weight and height data (objective n = 319, self-report n = 92) also self-reported on their weight perception and appearance-specific feedback. Neither bullying nor victimisation were related to objective underweight or overweight. Victims were at increased odds of overweight misperception, while bully-victims were at increased odds of underweight misperception. Additionally, there was an indirect effect of appearance feedback on overweight misperception in bully-victims. Both victims and bully-victims are at increased risk of weight misperception, posing further detrimental effects to their health and wellbeing.KL and AG each received a fellowship from the Department of Psychology, University of Warwick.Published versio

Adolescent desire for cosmetic surgery

Background: Adolescent bullying may be a key driver of interest in cosmetic surgery. This study examined the extent of such interest and whether any effect was sex-specific, and examined psychological functioning as a potential mechanism through which bullying involvement may lead to a wish for cosmetic surgery. Methods: A two-stage design was used. In the first stage, 2782 adolescents (aged 11 to 16 years) were screened for bullying involvement using self-reports and peer nominations. In the second stage, 752 adolescents who were bullies, victims, bully-victims, or uninvolved in bullying reported their desire for cosmetic surgery. Psychological functioning was constructed as a composite of self-esteem and emotional problems (assessed at stage 1) and body-esteem scores (assessed at stage 2). Results: Adolescents involved in bullying in any role were significantly more interested in cosmetic surgery than uninvolved adolescents. Desire for cosmetic surgery was greatest in adolescents who were bullied (victims and bully-victims) and girls. Desire for cosmetic surgery was highest in girls, but sex did not interact with bullying role. Being victimized by peers resulted in poor psychological functioning, which increased desire for cosmetic surgery. In contrast, desire for cosmetic surgery in bullies was not related to psychological functioning, which was in the normal range. Conclusions: Bullying victimization is related to poor psychological functioning, and both are related to a greater desire for cosmetic surgery in adolescents. Cosmetic surgeons should screen candidates for psychological vulnerability and may want to include a short screening questionnaire for a history of peer victimization.Published versio

The social and emotional profiles of adolescent bullies, victims, and bully-victims

Peer bullying is a highly prevalent issue for children and adolescents worldwide. There is now convincing evidence that bullying has adverse consequences for physical, psychological, social, and emotional health that last throughout adolescence and into adulthood. Despite heightened efforts to prevent and tackle bullying, the factors that motivate this behaviour, and may predispose individuals to being either the perpetrators or victims of bullying remain partly unclear. With focus on the perpetration of bullying, one possible motivation described by resource control theories, is the pursuit of social dominance and enhancing status within the peer group. Bullies have been described as popular although controversial in their social acceptance. However there has been little exploration of how this group compares to victimised adolescents, and in particular to those who are concurrently victimised and bully others (bully-victims). Differences in sociometric outcomes between bullies and bully-victims, or between these perpetration roles and those who are ‘pure’ victims or uninvolved, may be explained by differences in social-cognitive and emotional attributes. Bullies were historically portrayed as socially incompetent and thought to show deficiencies in their emotional functioning. However the strategic and manipulative behaviour of bullies suggests that this group may be relatively skilled in their processing of social information and understanding of others. It may be bully-victims who display the most deficiencies in their social and emotional functioning, and this may be fundamental in explaining their failure to gain the same social status as bullies. Three studies were conducted, in which adolescents were first screened for bullying involvement using both self-reports and peer-nominations, and completed measures for behavioural problems, self-esteem, and peer-reported sociometric status. Participants were assigned to a bullying role (bully, bully-victim, victim or uninvolved), and a sub- sample of participants were assessed on abilities in the early stages of social information processing (encoding and interpretation) and emotional attributes (empathy, callous-unemotional traits, and affective instability). Study one investigated differences between the bullying roles on levels of social impact, social acceptance, and perceived popularity. It was found that all adolescents involved in bullying had higher social impact than those uninvolved. Bullies had the highest levels of perceived popularity, whereas bully-victims, like victims, scored low on perceived popularity and had the lowest levels of social acceptance. Additionally, bullying role made the greatest contribution compared to other demographic and individual characteristics in predicting all aspects of sociometric status. Study two explored the differences in abilities between the bullying roles on the encoding and interpretation stages of social information. There were no differences found between the groups with regards to emotion recognition abilities (encoding), however the victimised groups exhibited the most interpretation biases. Bully-victims showed the most hostile attribution biases, whereas victims endorsed more characterological self-blame attributions. Bullies showed no differences to uninvolved adolescents in their accuracy for encoding and interpreting social information. Finally study three investigated whether those involved in bullying showed differences in emotional traits and attributes. Those who were victimised, i.e., victims and bully- victims, had high levels of affective instability, and bully-victims also had the lowest levels of empathy and the most callous-unemotional traits. Bullies also had high levels of callous-unemotional traits, however showed no differences to the uninvolved group on any other emotional measure. In conclusion, bullies were associated with the most positive attributes across the measures of sociometric status, and did not differ in social information processing and emotional attributes from those uninvolved in bullying; however they were found to be callous-unemotional. This supports resource control approaches in suggesting that bullying is used to acquire dominance in the peer group, which in turn reinforces the bullying behaviour. Bullies’ social and emotional skills, in combination with being callous in pursuit of social status, may account for the ability to successfully use a combination of coercive and prosocial strategies to gain this social dominance. If bullies experience such social rewards, i.e., increased popularity, their behaviour will ultimately be more difficult to change. In contrast, bully-victims showed low sociometric status, showed the most interpretation biases, and the most negative emotional attributes. These adolescents are likely to represent the ineffective aggressors whose poor social skills, reactive behaviour, and dysregulated emotional style, explains their lack of success in gaining social dominance, along with their increased victimisation and rejection by peers. Interventions should target the whole peer group in reducing the social rewards received by bullies and encourage prosocial means for enhancing social status. Social hierarchies in schools should also be addressed to increase the status of those who are victimised and provide the social support needed to reduce victimisation. Finally, interventions may benefit from considering the emotional traits and processing biases that increase the risk of involvement in bullying, and may ultimately influence the outcomes of those involved

Extension of high temporal resolution sea level time series at Socoa (Saint Jean-de-Luz, France) back to 1875

In this data paper sea level time series at Socoa (Saint Jean-de-Luz, Southwestern France) is extended in a data archaeology exercise. We have catalogued water level records stored in ledgers and charts, as well as other associated documents (metadata) in thorough research of national and local archives. An extensive effort was made to rescue these documents by archiving them in digital formats. Based on this large set of rescued documents, the Socoa time series is further extended back in time by about 40 years, at hourly (for ledgers) to 5-minutes (for charts) sampling. Analysis of the precise levelling information reveals that the datum of the tide gauge site has been stable. We assessed the consistency of this new century-long time series based on nearby tide gauge data. Although the overall timeseries is generally consistent, siltation is found to be a recurrent problem of the stilling well which impacted some part of the extended data. However, being a high temporal resolution sea level time series spanning more than 100 years, this new dataset will be useful for advancing climate research, particularly the decadal scale variations in the North Atlantic, as well as the storminess and extreme events along the French Basque coastal region.</p

Sibling and peer bullying victimization in adolescence : masculinity, femininity, and the moderating role of sex and popularity

Introduction: We investigated whether gender‐typed traits (masculinity and femininity) contemporaneously predicted self‐reported peer victimization, peer‐reported peer victimization, and sibling victimization. We also tested the moderating role of sex and popularity. Methods: A sample of 2782 British pupils aged 11–16 from Central England, UK was screened for bullying involvement and popularity using self‐report and peer nominations, and a subsample of 704 (52.7% girls) completed a measure of gender‐typed traits (masculinity and femininity). Results: Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that low levels of masculine traits were associated with greater risk of self‐reported peer victimization, there were no associations with peer‐reported peer victimization, and low levels of feminine traits were associated with greater risk of self‐reported sibling victimization. The effects were not moderated by sex, while popularity decreased the risk of self‐ and peer‐reported peer victimization. Conclusions: Bullying prevention interventions could benefit from including the positive facets of feminine and masculine traits

Does psychological functioning mediate the relationship between bullying involvement and weight loss preoccupation in adolescents? A two-stage cross-sectional study

Background Adolescent bullying is associated with a range of adversities for those who are bullied i.e., victims and bully-victims (e.g., those who bully others and get victimised), including reduced psychological functioning and eating disorder symptoms. Bullies are generally well-adjusted psychologically, but previous research suggests that bullies may also engage in problematic diet behaviours. This study investigates a) whether adolescents involved in bullying (bullies, victims, bully-victims) are at increased risk of weight loss preoccupation, b) whether psychological functioning mediates this relationship and c) whether sex is a key moderator. Method A two-stage design was used. In stage 1, adolescents (n = 2782) from five UK secondary schools were screened for bullying involvement using self and peer reports. In stage 2, a sample of bullies, victims, bully-victims and uninvolved adolescents (n = 767) completed a battery of assessments. The measures included the eating behaviours component of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment, which was reduced to one factor (weight loss preoccupation) and used as the outcome variable. Measures of self-esteem, body-esteem and emotional problems were reduced to a latent (mediator) variable of psychological functioning. Multi-group analysis examined the effects of sex and all models were adjusted for covariates (BMI, pubertal stage, age, parental education and ethnicity). Results Bullies, victims and bully-victims were at increased risk of weight loss preoccupation compared to adolescents uninvolved in bullying. The mechanism by which bullying involvement related to increased weight loss preoccupation varied by bullying role: in bullies the effect was direct, in victims the effect was indirect (via reduced psychological functioning) and in bully-victims the effect was both direct and indirect. Sex significantly moderated the relationship in bullies: weight loss preoccupation was only statistically significant in bullies who were boys. Conclusion Bullying involvement during adolescence is associated with weight loss preoccupation. Bullies are likely driven by a desire to increase attractiveness and social status; whereas weight loss preoccupation in bullied adolescents may have maladaptive influences on diet and exercise behaviours due to its association with reduced psychological functioning. Future research should consider peer victimisation as a potential modifiable risk factor for reduced psychological functioning and weight loss preoccupation, which if targeted, may help to prevent maladaptive diet and exercise behaviours.KL and AG were supported by fellowships funded by the Department of Psychology, University of Warwick.Published versio

Neural correlates of individuation and categorization of other-species faces in infancy

The goal of this study was to investigate 9-month-old infants' ability to individuate and categorize other-species faces at the subordinate level. We were also interested in examining the effects of initial exposure conditions on infant categorization and individuation processes. Infants were either familiarized with a single monkey face in an individuation procedure or familiarized with multiple exemplars of monkey faces from the same species in a categorization procedure. Event-related potentials were recorded while the infants were presented: familiar faces, novel faces from the familiar species, or novel faces from a novel species. The categorization group categorized monkey faces by species at the subordinate level, whereas the individuation group did not discriminate monkey faces at the individual or subordinate level. These findings indicate initial exposure to multiple exemplars facilitates infant processing of other-species faces, and infants are efficient at subordinate-level categorization at 9 months of age

Seasonal Patterns in Stable Isotope and Fatty Acid Profiles of Southern Stingrays (Hypanus americana) at Stingray City Sandbar, Grand Cayman

Ecotourism opportunities in the marine environment often rely heavily on provisioning to ensure the viewing of cryptic species by the public. However, intentional feeding of wildlife can impact numerous aspects of an animals’ behavior and ecology. Southern stingrays (Hypanus americana) provisioned at Stingray City Sandbar (SCS) in Grand Cayman have altered diel activity patterns and decreased measures of health. This study looked at seasonal changes in stable isotope (SI) and fatty acid (FA) profiles of provisioned stingrays at SCS. Plasma δ15N was higher in male stingrays (11.86 ± 1.71‰) compared to females (10.70 ± 1.71‰). Lower values for δ15N in males and females were measured in October during low tourist season, suggesting stingrays may be forced to rely on native prey items to supplement the decreased amount of provisioned squid available during this time. Plasma FA profiles were significantly different between sexes and across sampling time points, with FAs 22:6n3, 16:0, 20:5n3, 18:1n3C, 18:0 and 18:1n9T contributing to dissimilarity scores between groups. Dietary FAs primarily contributed to differences between males and females lending further evidence to differences in foraging patterns at SCS, likely due to intraspecific competition. Further, canonical analysis of principal coordinates (CAP) analysis of FA profiles suggest similar diets during peak tourist season and differences in diet between males and females during the low season. This study demonstrates alterations in feeding ecology in stingrays at SCS which is of critical importance for effective management of the SCS aggregation

Individualized decision aid for diverse women with lupus nephritis (IDEA-WON): A randomized controlled trial.

BackgroundTreatment decision-making regarding immunosuppressive therapy is challenging for individuals with lupus. We assessed the effectiveness of a decision aid for immunosuppressive therapy in lupus nephritis.Methods and findingsIn a United States multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial (RCT), adult women with lupus nephritis, mostly from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds with low socioeconomic status (SES), seen in in- or outpatient settings, were randomized to an individualized, culturally tailored, computerized decision aid versus American College of Rheumatology (ACR) lupus pamphlet (1:1 ratio), using computer-generated randomization. We hypothesized that the co-primary outcomes of decisional conflict and informed choice regarding immunosuppressive medications would improve more in the decision aid group. Of 301 randomized women, 298 were analyzed; 47% were African-American, 26% Hispanic, and 15% white. Mean age (standard deviation [SD]) was 37 (12) years, 57% had annual income of &lt;$40,000, and 36% had a high school education or less. Compared with the provision of the ACR lupus pamphlet (n = 147), participants randomized to the decision aid (n = 151) had (1) a clinically meaningful and statistically significant reduction in decisional conflict, 21.8 (standard error [SE], 2.5) versus 12.7 (SE, 2.0; p = 0.005) and (2) no difference in informed choice in the main analysis, 41% versus 31% (p = 0.08), but clinically meaningful and statistically significant difference in sensitivity analysis (net values for immunosuppressives positive [in favor] versus negative [against]), 50% versus 35% (p = 0.006). Unresolved decisional conflict was lower in the decision aid versus pamphlet groups, 22% versus 44% (p &lt; 0.001). Significantly more patients in the decision aid versus pamphlet group rated information to be excellent for understanding lupus nephritis (49% versus 33%), risk factors (43% versus 27%), medication options (50% versus 33%; p ≤ 0.003 for all); and the ease of use of materials was higher in the decision aid versus pamphlet groups (51% versus 38%; p = 0.006). Key study limitations were the exclusion of men, short follow-up, and the lack of clinical outcomes, including medication adherence.ConclusionsAn individualized decision aid was more effective than usual care in reducing decisional conflict for choice of immunosuppressive medications in women with lupus nephritis.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov, NCT02319525